📁 Cloud storage & office Privacy ★★★★

pCloud

Feature-rich cloud with optional lifetime plans

Overview

pCloud AG (Switzerland) is known for large affordable plans and streaming-friendly media handling.

Standard storage is Dropbox-like; only Crypto folders are client-side E2EE.

Popular for media backups when you accept mixed encryption models.

Scores

Privacy 4/5
Ease of use 4/5
Features 4/5
Value 5/5

Google Drive / Docs — comparison

Better media storage value than Drive for many users—but without Crypto you have a Google-like plaintext cloud; put secrets in Crypto vault only.

Pros

  • 10 GB free; 2 TB often ~$49.99/year
  • Lifetime license options
  • Family and business plans

Cons & caveats

  • Full E2EE requires paid Crypto add-on
  • Non-Crypto data is server-accessible like Google Drive
  • No Docs replacement

Best for

  • Large media backups
  • Users who E2EE only sensitive folders
  • People preferring one-time purchase options

Not ideal for

  • Default E2EE for all data required
  • Google Docs–style workflows

Specs

Pricing
Free + paid — Free 10 GB. Premium 500 GB $49.99/year, 2 TB $99.99/year. Crypto +$49.99/year. Lifetime plans available.
Difficulty
Easy
Data location
Switzerland (company) plus US/EU DCs (user choice). Crypto vault is zero-knowledge.
Platforms
Web · Windows · macOS · Linux · Android · iOS
Highlights
pCloud Crypto E2EE生涯プランメディアプレビュースイス法域

Migration from Google Drive / Docs

  1. 1 Takeout or Drive Desktop → pCloud Drive mount
  2. 2 Move sensitive data into Crypto vault
  3. 3 Plan separate photo migration (Immich, etc.) for Google Photos
  4. 4 Review which folders stay non-Crypto vs encrypted

Setup steps

  1. 1 Create pCloud account
  2. 2 Install pCloud Drive desktop app
  3. 3 Purchase Crypto add-on and set Crypto Pass
  4. 4 Configure camera roll auto-upload if desired